Page 230 - AstaGuru Masters Legacy April 2024
P. 230

Lot No. 62



                                                                                                                                                                                                       KRISHEN KHANNA
                                                                                                                                                                                                       b. 1925


                                                                                                                                                                                                       UNTITLED
                                                                                                                                                                                                       72 x 145 in (182.8 x 368.3 cm)
                                                                                                                                                                                                       Acrylic and charcoal on canvas
                                                                                                                                                                                                       Signed: Bottom Right

                                                                                                                                                                                                       ` 1,00,00,000 - 1,50,00,000
                                                                                                                                                                                                       $ 121,951 - 182,926


                                                                                                                                                                                                       Provenance: Property from a
                                                                                                                                                                                                       collection based in New Delhi.



                                                                                                                                                                                                       The presented lot by Krishen Khanna is a
                                                                                                                                                                                                       large-scale work. It was executed with acrylic
                                                                                                                                                                                                       and charcoal, a combination of mediums
                                                                                                                                                                                                       that the artist has consistently revisited
                                                                                                                                                                                                       through the course of his career. Marked
                                                                                                                                                                                                       by monumentality and ambition of scale,
                                                                                                                                                                                                       Khanna’s monochromatic creations emerge
                                                                                                                                                                                                       from the depth of his nuanced imagination.


                                                                                                                                                                                                       It depicts a faunal fight between these
                                                                                                                                                                                                       two majestic animals. Rendered in a
                                                                                                                                                                                                       shadowy  aura,  the  work  does  not  depict
                                                                                                                                                                                                       a background in the conventional sense,
                                                                                                                                                                                                       instead focuses on the figures, capturing a
                                                                                                                                                                                                       compelling exchange of energy and combat.
                                                                                                                                                                                                       Krishen Khanna’s skilful use of the medium
                                                                                                                                                                                                       of charcoal is evident in the way he creates
                                                                                                                                                                                                       light and shadow to bring out the nuances of
                                                                                                                                                                                                       his subjects.
   225   226   227   228   229   230   231   232   233   234   235